Reduce Cable Breakage on Aerial Lifts with LAPP ÖLFLEX® FD 855 P
Author: Kassie Teagarden, Senior Content Marketing Specialist, Lapp Tannehill
A bucket truck company in the Midwest U.S. replaces bucket truck aerial lift cables with LAPP’s ÖLFLEX® FD 855 P cable for increased safety confidence on job sites and to save time and money on maintenance and repair.
Cables for Aerial Lifts and Continuously-Moving Machinery
A global leading aerial lift manufacturer in the Midwest region of the United States works with Lapp Tannehill to find better cable solutions for their vehicles.
They design and produce high-quality bucket trucks built for electric utility, forestry, sign and lighting, construction, and telecommunications industries.
The bucket trucks are manufactured with an aerial lift, or boom lift, attached to a maintenance vehicle on one end and a bucket platform on the other end to elevate technicians horizontally and vertically through the air.
Aerial lifts are powered by electrical cables running through lubricated tracks inside the articulating arms of the boom.
Bucket trucks enhance work efficiency by offering end users access to elevated worksites in a safe vehicle.
This Midwest company primarily manufactures these lift products for truck utility companies looking to supply high-quality, reliable, and safe vehicles to sell or rent to their customers.
Flexible Cables Needed Inside Arms of the Bucket Truck
On-site technicians, repair personnel, arborists, and electricians undergo workplace and remote OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) training required by the U.S. Department of Labor to ensure intentional safe practices on the job.
One of the most common equipment failures in bucket trucks is cable breakage in the articulating arm, which can leave a technician stranded in an aerial lift on-site.
Equipment maintenance, repair, and downtime due to cable breakage can lead to work safety issues, loss of productivity, and costly warranties.
The bucket truck company discovered that the cables were twisting and bunching up against the metal track that they laid in, so the jacket of the cable started fraying and wearing away at the cable, ultimately causing electrical failure.
They decided it was time to replace their existing cable with a higher-quality cable that would give their customers more confidence on-site with the equipment they were using.
The company reached out to their trusted cable, wire, and connector distributor, Lapp Tannehill, for help in finding the right solution for their problem.
Lapp Tannehill’s cable expert and sales representative, John Lambert, agreed that cable reliability in their use case was necessary in preventing workplace injuries, among other complications.
John states, “Potentially, if someone is alone with the lift raised, that person could get stranded very high up in the air. Not to mention, the company would experience downtime and increased labor cost while having to swap out the truck for maintenance and repair.”
The Solution: LAPP ÖLFLEX® FD 855 P Continuous Flex Control Cable
To address their customer pain points and improve the design of their aerial lifts, Lapp Tannehill provided a solution which replaced their existing bucket truck cables.
LAPP’s ÖLFLEX® FD 855 P unshielded multi-conductor cable fit all their requirements such as reliability, cost-effectiveness, low maintenance, and more.
The LAPP ÖLFLEX® FD 855 P cable is designed for continuous flex applications where aerial lifts are used in environments prone to extreme mechanical stress and strain.
Its polyurethane jacket is oil and chemical resistant which is necessary to prevent cable failure in the lubricated metal track.
This cable is also recommended for extreme temperature environments, such as the colder temperatures found in the Midwest states, as it can stay flexible in temperatures as low as -40°C (-40°F).
Read our article on "3 Things to Consider When Buying Cables for Extreme Temperatures"
After the bucket truck company replaced their existing PVC cable with the LAPP ÖLFLEX® FD 855 P multiconductor cable in their aerial lifts, their customers reported fewer maintenance, repair problems, and safety issues, and reported improvement with on-site product reliability.
They proudly showcase their use of best-in-class technology in the industry to continuously manufacture innovative products.
Application Advantages
- Increased flexibility due to extra fine stranding and cores twisted in extremely short lay lengths
- PUR jacket offers increased durability in harsh conditions, flame-retardancy, and resistance to contact with many oil-based lubricants and chemicals
Recommended Applications
- In power chains or moving machine parts
- Particularly in wet areas of machine tools and transfer lines
- Assembly lines, production lines, in all kinds of machines
- For use in assembling and pick-and-place machinery
- For highly dynamic applications
- For indoor and outdoor use
If this use case sounds similar to your business needs and applications, reach out to us for more information, download the case study to show to your engineering and/or procurement team, or browse LAPP ÖLFLEX® FD 855 P cables today.
